Haman County

Haman County  (Haman-gun) is a county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. In the early Common Era, Haman was the seat of Ara Gaya, a leading state of the Gaya confederacy. Many relics from this period are still preserved in the county. After the fall of Gaya, Haman was absorbed into Silla as Asirang-gun; in 757 its name was changed to Haman-gun, which it bears today.

By bus
Haman (함안군) or the town center of Gaya-eup (가야읍) can be best reach by bus from Masan's Intercity Bus Terminal in Hapseong-dong. Buses depart every 30-40 minutes and arrive at Haman Intercity Bus Terminal. There are also a number of buses from Masan Nambu Bus Terminal near Gyeongnam University that go to Haman every hour and a half or so. In addition, there are a number of local buses that service Haman-gun: 252-2 (Nambu Terminal departure) and 114-1(Hapseong-dong departure) which go to Gaya-eup and Sanin-myeon (산인면). 113-1 (Hapseong-dong) and 250-1 (Gyeongnam University, 경남대) go to Chirwon-myeon (칠윈면) and Chirseo-myeon (칠서면) in the eastern portion of the county. One of these buses is available once an hour.

By train
Trains also frequent Haman about ten times days a day coming in the direction of Suncheon (5 times) and Busan (5 times). It is possible to take a train from Haman to Daegu or Seoul once a day. There are two train stations in Haman, Haman (함안역) and Gunbuk (군북역).

By plane
The nearest airport is Gimhae International Airport outside of Busan.

By bus
Buses that travel to different destinations in Haman are not very frequent but it is possible to get around. There are ten buses a day from Haman Terminal to Chirwon-myeon and Chirseo-myeon. There are a number of buses a day that go through Haman-myeon and Yeohang-myeon (Yeohang-san Provincial Park) on their way to Jindong-myeon in Masan, Naegok-ri and Judong-ri. Buses can also be taken from Haman Bus Terminal to Gunbuk-myeon heading in the direction of Uiryeong-gun, Beopsu-myeon and Daesan-myeon also have a number of buses per day.

The local Masan buses 252-2 and 114-1 terminate in Gunbuk-myeon and make a number of stops through Gaya-eup on the way to Jung-ri in Masan. There is one per hour that stop behind Trial Supermarket/Haman Bus Terminal on the main road in Gaya-eup.

By taxi
Taxi fare starts at ₩3000.

See

 * There is some superb hiking in Haman.
 * Haman also has some historical sites as it was historically part of the Ara Gaya Confederacy. The best place historical site for the Ara Gaya in Haman is the Royal Tombs of Dohang-ri and Malsan-ri in Gaya-eup. There are over a hundred royal mound tombs and there is also a museum.
 * There's also Ipgok County Park which has the county's largest reservoir. There are also some hiking trails there and the locals often go there to play soccer, fish or take a stroll.
 * In Gaya-eup, there's a market (가야시장) and every five days (5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th and 30th) there is a market day where the local farmers come with their fruit and wares.

Do
The bulk of the activities in Haman are nature-related with the hiking in Yeohangsan and Bangeosan. Yeohang-san, the major peak (770m), is part of the Naknam Ridge which extends from Gimhae to Jirisan. The best way to reach Yeohang-san is to take a bus heading to Naegok-ri, Jindong or Judong-ri. Stop in Yeohang-myeon (여항면) in front of Oeam Elementary School (외암초등학교). Once you get off the bus you will see the sign for Yeohang-san Park. Take a right on Provincial Road 1021 (you are walking at this point) and follow it for 2km and you will reach Joachon Village. There are three hiking courses to the top from there. Definitely need survival Korean to make the trek.

There's also Bangeosan in Gunbuk-myeon. The best way to get there is to take a bus from Haman Bus Terminal to Gunbuk. Get off the bus and hail a taxi lined along the streets of Gunbuk as there are no buses that go to the beginning of the hiking path. The path starts at Maaesa Temple (마애사) Another mountain to hike is Cheonjusan (648m) in Ungok-ri, Chirwon-myeon.

However, if hiking is not your thing, there are a myriad of country roads to ride a bike on. Some of the best places to bike are south of Gaya-eup in Haman-myeon and Yeohang-myeon. There's also some really good roads near Gunbuk-myeon for biking. In Gaya-eup and Haman-myeon there are some bike paths but they are rather poor and broken in a number of places.

Buy
Every five days there's a market day in Gaya-eup. That's the best time to buy anything local from Haman. Trial Supermarket at the Haman Bus Terminal is the major area for grocery shopping in Gaya. There's also a couple of 하나로 marts, Jin Mart on the road behind the Trail Supermarket and near the train station and Green DC Mart. Trial is the best place to get bread and some western food as they have peanut butter, spaghetti sauce and whole wheat bread.

Also, if you are teaching and Haman and want to buy a bike, the best place to go is the Corex Bike Shop. The owner is very helpful and has repaired my bike countless times. It's on the main road in Gaya on the left hand side past the intersection with Green DC Mart.

Eat
Lots of good places to eat in Gaya-eup. The best area in Gaya for restaurants is past the railroad tracks on the first road on the left past the Nong-hyup.





Drink
Nightlife in Haman is similar to the nightlife in other small towns, meaning Hofs and Noraebangs. The best area for bars is near the market in Gaya-eup at the busiest intersection in Gaya-eup (Paris Baguette, GS 25 and FamilyMart). There are also number of bars on the main road going south towards Haman-myeon past the railroad. The noraebangs are also in that area and in the area near the Gaya Market.

Some "hot spots: are:

The noraebangs are scattered throughout the town but there are some near those bars.

Sleep
The sleeping establishments (여관) are near the bars listed above. However, a fairly safe bet is the Arirang Motel above the FamilyMart in downtown Gaya. There's also a hotel diagonally across from it but I couldn't find the name of it.

There is also a hotel near Yeohang-san in Naegok-ri (내고리) on highway 79 for those riding their bikes through the area.

Go next
Haman Bus Terminal is the easiest way to reach other cities from there you can take a bus to adjacent Masan (Nam Masan Terminal in Shin Masan and Masan Intercity Bus Terminal) and there are a number of buses to Uiryeong-gun to the west. There are also buses that go to Busan starting at 07:30 and ending at 20:00. They leave every hour and a half. If you want to travel to Jinju and other surrounding counties, you can take the train going in the direction of Suncheon, Jeollnam-do and Busan. However, it's probably much easier to just go to Masan and take a bus onward from there.

Bus fare

 * Masan (Masan Intercity Bus Terminal) - ₩1600 (every 30-40 minutes)
 * Masan (Shin Masan - Nambu Terminal) - ₩3000 (every hour and a half) This bus also stops at Jindong (₩2200) where it's possible to connect to destinations such as Tongyeong and Jinju.
 * Busan - ₩5000 (every hour and a half), first departure at 07:30, last at 20:00.
 * Uiryeong